Overnight French Toast Casserole

I love French Toast. It’s probably my favorite breakfast food along with bacon… lots and lots of bacon.

I served this recipe last week for Thanksgiving morning, and it was a huge hit with the family. Mom and dad and my sister and her husband, all came to my house to cook Thanksgiving dinner, and it was so nice not to have to worry about cooking the main course. So, in return I wanted to make breakfast for everyone and this recipe just sort of came to me.

It combines the tasty cinnamon flavors of French toast with the toasty goodness of pecans and a rich vanilla icing drizzle. It’s pretty much the best, and I could eat it any time of day. I truly think it’s better as an overnight casserole, but you don’t have to let it set overnight if you don’t have time. It’s a great recipe for the holidays because you can make it up to 2 days in advance and keep in the fridge until your ready to bake.

Here’s what you need:

• 1 crusty baguette, torn or cut into large chunks
• 7 eggs
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (I didn’t say this was a low cal recipe) 😉
• 1 cup milk, plus 2 tbsp
• 4 tbsp white sugar, divided
• 2 tbsp cinnamon, divided
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 5 tbsp butter, cut into small chunks

Grease a 13×9 baking dish, and toss the baguette chunks into the baking dish.

Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and add heavy cream, 1 cup of milk, 2 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp cinnamon. Whisk well and pour over bread cubes.

Next, in a small dish combine the pecans, remaining white sugar, and cinnamon and sprinkle the mixture over the top of your casserole. Distribute butter cubes over the top of the casserole and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight, until ready to bake.

Not all of your bread will be submerged in the custard, and that’s ok. All of that custardy goodness will get soaked up overnight.

To make the vanilla drizzle, combine powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and nutmeg and stir until no longer lumpy. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375 degrees and bake casserole for about 45 minutes. The pecan topping should be nicely browned by then. Once casserole is removed from oven, drizzle the vanilla icing over the top and serve immediately while still warm.